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Teaching language for international students at Chinese universities: what Order No. 42 says

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Article 18 of Order No. 42 names the national common spoken and written language as the basic teaching language for international students in higher education institutions. Article 19 says that institutions meeting the conditions may offer some specialised courses taught in a foreign language. Which programmes a given university teaches in English is stated in that university's own prospectus, and Article 19 names no particular programme or university.

This directory is an unofficial directory of universities in mainland China. For how to check a university's details against the official lists, see this directory's section page.

The source texts

The English wording in this article is this site's own translation of the Chinese text. The Chinese text of each provision is the official text.

What Article 18 says

Order No. 42 is the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students. The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security issued it jointly as Order No. 42. The promulgation text states that it takes effect on 1 July 2017.

Article 18 reads, in translation:

The common spoken and written language of the People's Republic of China is the basic teaching language for higher education institutions training international students. For international students whose command of the national common spoken and written language falls short of the study requirement, the institution may provide necessary remedial conditions.

What Article 19 says

Article 19 reads, in translation:

Higher education institutions that meet the conditions may offer specialised courses taught in a foreign language for international students. For international students taking higher education degree programmes in a foreign language, the degree thesis may be written in the corresponding foreign language, but the thesis abstract shall be in Chinese. Whether the thesis defence is conducted in a foreign language is determined by the institution.

Language levels in the 2018 standards

The Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial) were issued by Ministry of Education notice 教外〔2018〕50号, dated 3 September 2018. The standards set language requirements at entry and at graduation. They use the name the text uses for its reference scale: the International Chinese Proficiency Standards (《国际汉语能力标准》).

Section 1.2 covers entry. For programmes taught in Chinese, the Chinese ability required at entry shall be at least level 4. For programmes taught in a foreign language, the institution shall clearly set the required foreign-language ability in its entry standards.

The section on language ability at graduation sets the following levels:

Programme teaching language Level required at graduation
Chinese-taught programmes Chinese at level 5
Foreign-language programmes, undergraduate Chinese at least level 4
Foreign-language programmes, master's and doctoral Chinese at least level 3

The same section says that graduates of foreign-language programmes shall be able to use the corresponding foreign language to complete their study and research tasks.

The general laws on language

Article 11 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language says that schools and other educational institutions take the national common spoken and written language as the basic language for teaching and education.

Article 12 of the Education Law of the People's Republic of China says that the national common spoken and written language is the basic language for teaching and education in schools and other educational institutions, and that these institutions shall use it for teaching and education.

Article 19 of Order No. 42 is the provision on teaching in a foreign language for international students.

Where to check a programme

Which programmes a university teaches in English, and what it requires at entry, is stated in that university's own admission prospectus. To confirm an institution's name against the official list, see this guide.

Questions people ask

Does Order No. 42 name English as the teaching language for international students?

Article 18 names the national common spoken and written language as the basic teaching language for international students. Article 19 allows institutions meeting the conditions to offer some specialised courses taught in a foreign language, and it does not name a particular foreign language.

Which programmes at a university are taught in English?

Article 19 names no particular programme. The prospectus of each university states which of its programmes are taught in a foreign language.

Can the thesis of a degree taught in a foreign language be written in that language?

Article 19 says the degree thesis may be written in the corresponding foreign language, and that the thesis abstract shall be in Chinese. Article 19 leaves the decision on whether the thesis defence uses a foreign language to the institution.

What Chinese level do the 2018 standards set at graduation for foreign-language programmes?

The graduation section of the 2018 standards sets at least level 4 of the International Chinese Proficiency Standards for undergraduates, and at least level 3 for master's and doctoral students, in the Chinese language.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by the Ministry of Education or any university, and promises no admission outcome; if the official Chinese text or the current official list differs from this page, the official text prevails.

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